Typical

Percy hadn't been surprised when his visit home saw him doing chores while the rest of his siblings played games. It wasn't that he wanted to play Quidditch, of course, just that one of the younger ones could have de-gnomed the garden at any time instead of leaving it until the last minute and letting him take care of it. He wondered who had ended up doing it the last two weeks, or if they had been able to worm out of it entirely.

Quidditch was practically mandatory this week, though, with Oliver coming. Percy wouldn't want to deprive his old friend of the fun of it, even if he played professionally nowadays, and he didn't want him to get his ankles bitten if he stepped in the wrong place in the yard. He would guess that some of the laxness in this task might have actually been in hopes that Ginny's new beau would suffer a similar misfortune and be driven off.

His family was all very enamored with the idea of Ginny making Harry a legal part of the family instead of just an honorary one, though Percy had never understood why. Harry was a nice enough fellow, (a little prone to finding trouble and dragging others into it, but hardly out of place in a family with Fred and George in it) but besides Ginny's massive childhood  crush on him, he couldn't see a reason to care who dated who. Harry was already as much a part of the family as Percy was, considering that his personality and interests fit so well with the rest of them and he spent so much time at the Burrow he had a hand on the clock.

Percy had to assume it was just one of those things he would never quite get, and he mostly stayed out of the way of it. Nonetheless, when a gnome he didn't have quite the right hold on bit him hard enough to draw blood, he couldn't help wishing he could stay far enough away not to suffer from the drama.

*****

Marcus checked his reflection again. It hadn't improved any in the minutes since his last look, and he once again had to talk himself out of a glamour. He hadn't been this nervous the first few times he'd gone home with Ginny, but this somehow felt like his last chance. They still had time on their arrangement, but she had to be out of relatives after the elusive Percy. Her probably straight brother shouldn't care what he looked like and if he was the man from the garden, he'd already seen Marcus and wouldn't even recognize him prettied up.

He glanced at the mirror again.

"Merlin's balls," he spat, disgusted with himself and his lack of self-control.

Being early had to be better than killing time alone in his flat with that thrice-damned mirror, so he firecalled Wood to bully the other man into going with him. It would be easy to excuse showing up with his coworker, since he certainly didn't want to show up alone and early to his fake-girlfriend's family dinner.

Wood was a smug prat about it, but he did agree quickly enough. Marcus was afraid that by the end of this they may actually turn out friends, ruining a perfectly good decade of rivalry and antagonism over one increasingly hopeless crush.

Marcus cursed himself yet again for not even getting the man's name. It would be so much easier to have something to call him, even if it wouldn't have been enough to help find him again. Marcus could just imagine his parents' smug admonishment that if he'd used some of the manners they had attempted to drill into him he wouldn't be left to suffer now.

Sod his parents.

***

They might have arrived before Ginny and the time they were supposed to eat, but it looked like most of the clan was already there and ready to play a backyard game of Quidditch. Oliver was roped in happily, but Marcus didn't see any new faces in that crowd. He didn't particularly want to be wandering around the Weasley house without Ginny or Wood, no matter how little he preferred their company, but he already knew he wasn't going to find the man from the garden playing Quidditch.

Whether or not this Percy fellow was who he hoped, he didn't seem to be here either, so Marcus begged off to none-to-friendly jeers and went his own way, desperately hoping to avoid running into Molly Weasley.

For that reason, he walked around the house instead of going in. The grounds weren't anything as extravagant as the Flint's estate, but they were reasonably large. The orchard he'd left the others in was really quite nice and the rest of the area was certainly alive. Where his parent's gardens were well manicured hedges and roses and stone, here there were patches of wildflowers and vegetables, with some wild-looking trees scattered around and a downright natural pond. There were even farm animals out front, something he couldn't even fathom. It was clear they tended it themselves, where his family had a house elf dedicated exclusively to the grounds.

While he was studying the view, something flew across his line of sight. His eyes snapped to it instinctively and he realized it was a gnome, of all things. Someone was apparently de-gnoming the garden around the corner of the house. If he remembered correctly from his past visits, that was the place closest to the kitchens, where Molly was likely to be. That was a good reason not to investigate, but it could just as easily be the elusive Percy.

It was the fact that he'd never actually seen a de-gnoming that decided him. House elf gardens did not have gnomes, or at least not for long enough to notice. He could stick his head around, ascertain who was doing the chore, and at least have a place to steer the conversation if he got caught by the hostess.

Crouched in the garden and facing away from him was a man. Marcus relaxed infinitesimally although his stomach started kicking up a fuss. Either his hopes would be dashed as soon as the man turned around, or this was Marcus's all-important chance to make a second first impression.

"Need a hand?" he asked, for lack of anything better.

It made the man start and wobble, but he did turn and stand. He was pink-cheeked and slightly dirty from his task, clothes rumpled, and had a bit of blood smeared on one of his fingers from a mild wound. He was the prettiest sight Marcus had seen in a long time because he was the right man.

He reached out almost without realizing he'd moved, grasping the man's injured hand and casting a simple healing charm on it.

Percy, for this must be Percy, sucked in a breath and turned every bit as red as the first night, although under the light of the sun it was a much deeper color than he'd realized.

Marcus smiled. "I've been looking for you," he said, trying to keep his voice gentle and coaxing and not making any attempt to drop Percy's hand. His voice had never been one of his more delicate features. Truth be told, Marcus didn't have any delicate features whatsoever, even though he knew how to take care of something precious. His skin might not be soft, but his touch was, and hopefully Percy would understand that Marcus wasn't only a brute.

**

Despite what people thought about him, Percy was quite bright enough to understand when people were flirting, especially when they were being as obvious as the man in front of him. The night in the garden, he'd been less sure and he hadn't known if any flirting would have carried intent behind it.

In his own parent's yard on a well-lit afternoon, Percy felt very deliberately pursued. What he didn't quite understand was the why or how of it. The man in front of him was perhaps not conventionally attractive, but he was arresting enough in his own way and obviously not afraid to go after what he wanted. He had been at that party, so he was social enough to meet people. He didn't seem to be a kindred spirit to Percy, nor did he seem interested in Percy for his pull at the Ministry. It simply didn't make sense that he wouldn't have better prospects than plain old Percy.

"Oh?" he asked, and was glad to find it sounded less wobbly than he felt.

"Mmm," the man agreed, squeezing the hand he still held. "I haven't stopped thinking about you since we met. Those few moments with you turned my whole night around. Let me take you out so I can try to return the favor."

It sounded nice, but Percy frowned, brain starting up again after the shock. "And how, exactly, did you come to find me here? I certainly can't go anywhere with you now, I have family duties to perform."

A blush, the first he'd seen, stole its way onto the man's cheeks.

**

Marcus realized suddenly that he hadn't exactly thought through trying to woo the man while fake-dating his sister, but luckily he wasn't afraid to throw Ginny under the bus.

"Your sister invited me as her latest attempt to make Harry Potter jealous, or so she said."

"So you're the new boyfriend," he surmised. Percy frowned harder. "I didn't think Ginny was here yet."

"I came with Wood, today. In hopes that I might meet you."

Percy's eyebrows rose. "You know Oliver?" he asked with enough familiarity to make Marcus instantly jealous. It was absurd; Ginny herself had called Percy Oliver's favorite Weasley and Wood was helping Marcus try to woo the man.

"Quidditch," he explained shortly.

"Of course," Percy said, and did not sound very enthusiastic about it.

It wasn't that Marcus had forgotten that he had avoided explaining that he was actually Marcus Flint, but it was a little awkward when your pickup line was self-deprecating humor that the other man didn't know was self-deprecating. Not to mention, having to explain that you're actually a bit famous and a catch is...not a good indication that it's true. Marcus did not have self-esteem issues, thank you, but he was aware of himself and his place in society. He was rich, he was famous, and he had an "unpalatable personality."

He would honestly like to just not mention it, but considering everyone else in the house knew his name and would use it, it was time to grab the skrewt by the tail and confess.

"I, um," Morgana, this was a lot harder than he expected. "The other night-" he tried. Great buggering hell. "I was escaping from my own party when we met. I'm Marcus Flint. The Troll," he added awkwardly. "Sorry."

Percy stared at him for what felt like a long time. Marcus could see him thinking, but he didn't telegraph his reactions clearly enough for Marcus to guess how he was feeling.

"Does that mean you're going to be as Quidditch-obessessed as Oliver?" Percy finally asked dryly.

Marcus grinned. "Probably," he admitted in a voice smug enough to boarder on a purr. It wasn't the Slytherin way to handicap oneself in a venture, but he would not have been able to hide that aspect of his personality for long. Besides, Percy seemed to like Wood well enough.

Percy sighed and rolled his eyes in commentary, but smiled back at him. "I suppose I have practice," he admitted, dryly enough to impress Marcus. Maybe it was just how transcendentally happy he was, but he found Percy's wry sarcasm funnier than a lot of jokes he'd been told.

"Well," drawled a female voice behind him and they both startled.

Ginny Weasley stood staring at them and looked perfectly happy to intrude on them. "Guess it was Percy after all. What are we telling Mum about our inevitable breakup?"

"Gryffindor save us," Percy muttered.

"Tell them Percy seduced me away to save you and your true love fate bollocks with Harry Potter. A hero, really," Marcus suggested.

Percy tilted his head in consideration of an idea. "Actually, you could try asking Harry to fake date you to smooth this whole thing over for me and Marcus. Act like you broke up with him to give it a try with Harry, and Marcus and I just happened to meet."

Ginny laughed. "Oh, I'll try it," she assured him, "But I think people are going to put two and two together on who you are. I'm probably going to say terrible things about you to Harry, by the way," she warned Marcus.

He shrugged. "Sure. I don't care what Potter thinks about me unless we end up on the same team. If that happens and we can't play together, I'll rat you out."

She nodded. "Seems fair," she agreed. "I'm going to find Harry. Try not to get caught by anyone else before we officially break up," she advised them saccharinely as she left.

"Bloody hell," Marcus laughed. "If Potter doesn't give in, I've got a Chaser that would love to be chewed up and spat out by that girl."

***